The time has come!

[Greg@SVTOA]

After months of waiting and hoping, SVTOA is finally in the hands of people who have the best interests of our club at heart. We are no longer affiliated in any way, shape or form with SAAC. Please see our main page for a major announcement!!

I have worked with so many different "management teams" over the past 7 years, and this group of people is by FAR the best yet. Just the way they treat me personally gives me a very good feeling about the club's future.

You all have put up with a lot these past few years. Let's start fresh, put the past behind us and work together to move this club forward.

REMEMBER ALWAYS- It's all about the friendships and good times we have when we share our performance hobby with each other. No matter if it's on the road course, the dragstrip, at a show or a cruise, it's all about making friends and having FUN.

LET'S GET BACK TO THAT!!! :beer:

[Stanger58]

Well said, and AMEN!

The past is just that...behind us! FINALLY, the time has come when we as a group can move foward with a management team that shares our passion for SVT vehicles and performance Fords. I encourage everyone not to dwell on the past, but rather, focus on the future and what WE as members want OUR club to be.

A special and HUGE thanks to those who have been working hard behind the scenes to make sure that SVTOA didn't fade away like old burnout marks on the pavement... :allhail:

And thanks to all the SVTOA faithful...your patience will be rewarded with a club where WE, the members, matter most. :beer:

See you on track!

[MW03Cobra]

AWESOME News!

I re-up'd my dues just now :tmb:

I cant wait to see where SVTOA is headed from here :allhail:

[shlbygt]

This pretty much sums up my frustrations with the previous regime.

"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

[2Snakes]

Great news!! On our way to bigger and better things to come. Looking forward to a great year ahead .

The three Tennessee chapters hope to get another on-track event here in Nashville in '09 and have every body come back for another great event at our super speedway!

[SoCal94]

Sounds like good news... is there MORE information available? Who is the new management team? (I'll keep reading current threads in case I missed something - so far I checked the front page, and this thread only).

SoCal94

[Sonic Cobra]

Just re-upped for another year.
Hoping we can resurrect our local Delaware Valley Chapter.
Also will be looking for a HUGE SVT presence at Carlisle this year.

[NeilBerry]

:spinem:
I re-upped!

I suspect the Canadians are not getting fair shake on the exchange rate.

[for point six]

Great news...

[GapBoyPCS]

:spinem:
I re-upped!

I suspect the Canadians are not getting fair shake on the exchange rate.

Actually, we're approximately near par these days (about $0.97 or higher USD = $1 CDN). A few months ago, we would have been getting the best shake :)

[jclors]

Let's hope all of our great Regional Directors stay on and work together with the new leadership to finally make this club as great as it can be!

For a list and the backgrounds of the newly-empowered National team, go to Page 2 of last year's SVT Enthusiast magazine, where 8 people (1 owner and 7 SVT folks) were listed there. The former National Director and Publisher is now out as the owner of the SVTOA, and has been replaced by the Publications Manager (and owner of T-5 Design), who is now the new National Director and SVTOA franchise holder. All the remaining 6 former SVT people on that list remain to run the national club operations.

I can tell you that we're all pumped at the opportunity to help deliver the kind of great benefits that our strong connection to the original SVT group can provide! Plus, we hope to get new people involved, too -- so if SVT is in your blood, the time to step up and become part of the club is now!

Hope to see you ALL at the SVT 15th Anniversary Reunion in Carlisle!

John
1978 Cobra

[wysiwyg]

I just renewed my membership


Pictures of my winter project.

[ronb]

Our thanks to the many people and organizations that have kept the SVTOA dream alive. A dark period began as we approached the July 07 national meet. The followiing worked through those difficulties and the ones to follow. They kept positive attitudes while faced with many obstructions to their continued support for SVTOA. Thanks to their tireless efforts some 08 events are possible and the future looks even brighter.

Greg and others at SVTOA National Staff and Ford Motor Company. They recognized that the "system" was not working and addressed the problem as quickly as possible. We do have friends in high places.

Jeff Lacina, Dell Hughes, Jonathan Blevins and your Regional Directors. They did not quit when all of their efforts not only received no support from "above" but were actually obstructed. Beginnning in early 08 they took matters in their own hands and began to organize and promote SVTOA events without national recognition or support of those events. Without their efforts 08 could have been a total blank so far as on track events are concerned.

Carol Shelby, Jim Owens, Amy, Sharon and Robert at Team Shelby. They stepped in with significant support and wide publication of the events your Regional Directors were able to create. They asked for no recognition in return for their generous support. They just wanted to give fellow Ford and Shelby fans events they could be proud of. There is a single work that describes such support. CLASS.

I am sure I have missed some of those that also contributed and for that I apologize. Those of you who know of the others that worked to keep our club alive please step up and acknowledge them. Thanks, thanks and thanks!

[stangluvr]

Congratulations to ALL of us! I'm sure this will brighten the future with regards to SVTOA. Although I have been a faithful member with the hopes that someday a change for the better would come about, I have been reluctant to try to recruit people due to the conflict and underlying tension that has been present for the past couple of years. I will now change that and start to get some new names aboard and let those whom I know have been disenchanted by past goings-on that SVTOA has new face and a great future ahead.

THANK YOU! To all of the folks that have worked to make this happen. Most of us will never know what it took to do so, but I am sure I a not alone in my appreciation for what you all have done.

[shlbygt]

Our thanks to the many people and organizations that have kept the SVTOA dream alive. A dark period began as we approached the July 07 national meet. The followiing worked through those difficulties and the ones to follow. They kept positive attitudes while faced with many obstructions to their continued support for SVTOA. Thanks to their tireless efforts some 08 events are possible and the future looks even brighter.

Greg and others at SVTOA National Staff and Ford Motor Company. They recognized that the "system" was not working and addressed the problem as quickly as possible. We do have friends in high places.

Jeff Lacina, Dell Hughes, Jonathan Blevins and your Regional Directors. They did not quit when all of their efforts not only received no support from "above" but were actually obstructed. Beginnning in early 08 they took matters in their own hands and began to organize and promote SVTOA events without national recognition or support of those events. Without their efforts 08 could have been a total blank so far as on track events are concerned.

Carol Shelby, Jim Owens, Amy, Sharon and Robert at Team Shelby. They stepped in with significant support and wide publication of the events your Regional Directors were able to create. They asked for no recognition in return for their generous support. They just wanted to give fellow Ford and Shelby fans events they could be proud of. There is a single work that describes such support. CLASS.

I am sure I have missed some of those that also contributed and for that I apologize. Those of you who know of the others that worked to keep our club alive please step up and acknowledge them. Thanks, thanks and thanks!
Uh, I think you forgot to include one very important SVTOA supporter that would be yourself, ronb.
If it wasn't for your gracious hospitality and wonderful cooking, those of us with tapeworms would surely starve while at the track. Mmmmm, fresh cobbler....

[stevedmurray]

Thanks for everyone's help with this. It's great news! I'll get the new subscription in tomorrow.

[bhartman]

Everyone's support is greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

BTW... Just renewed my membership. :tmb:

[rheacerdave]

I'm in.
BIG thanks for all the behind the scene work! :allhail: :allhail:

Is the big suprise new hat pins? ;)

[cobraken]

I have not been frequenting this forum much in the past year, primarily because my feeling was the SVTOA was lost and that SAAC was not promoting the club. I have just reupped my membership and have hopes that I will see some improvement.

[SoCal94]

I'd like to re-join this year.

Interestingly, I just got an email with information about how SVTOA would like me 'back'. Since I last renewed about this time last year, I wasn't even aware that I'd 'left'. :rolleyes:

Here's the thread where we were all talking hopefully about the future, 1 year ago: http://www.svtownersassociation.com/svtoaforums/showthread.php?t=12230&page=5&pp=15

Since then, I got my membership packet (7-10 week stated delay, I think it was more like 15) around the middle of last year, and I got one magazine, I think.

I know that the story is different this year, and I have a good level of confidence in the person who runs T-5 Design.

But, just for the record, what do I get for my membership fee this year? And, when would I get it?

SoCal94

[keilhauer]

Have to agree with everyone above. I hadn't even visited this site in almoste 2 months simply because I was frustrated with the lack of info and 'promise you this' and 'promise you that' whenever I called to find out what was going on. I truly hope that this signals a new chapter in the life of SVTOA. Having been involved since 2002, it would be a shame to see everyone's hard work be discarded. I look forward to a successful 2008 and beyond. I just hope that by renewing my membership, the transition goes smoothly ( I received just 2 copies of the previous newsletter and nothing else), and I can avoid the disappointments of the past year and a half.

[tomshep]

The SVTOA needs to be supported. I agree-last year sucked for the money paid to national. (SAAC--SUCK, SUCK--SAAC......what's the difference?) But it isn't going to break the bank to pay for this year. These other guys are busting their butts and spending a lot of personal money and time to try and keep SVTOA alive. If it works out this will benefit ALL OF US. Now is not the time to pull back. Without willing enthusiasts paying their dues you might as well shut the club down now and save all of the volunteers a lot of hard work and personal expense.

I don't consider this an expense for dues. To me this is an INVESTMENT in a club that caters to me and other SVT enthusiasts like no other can. To not support them would be foolish.

I AM RENEWING!!! (It only costs the equivalent of 6 or 7 gallons of race fuel anyway.)

Tom

[MCipriani]

WHEW!!!
Yes, I've been quiet on the forum lately, but now my hands are officially untied and I'm allowed to run with the ball! (sports reference - you guys like that, right?) As of April 17th (how perfectly fitting) I am your new National Director.

Lots of you on this forum (and other forums) know me already, but for those of you who don't, here's a little background. (There will be a formal introduction in the first magazine.)
I am Marcie Cipriani, owner of T-5 Design. I have been involved with SVT for many years and have made lots of great friends along the way. I have a true passion for Mustangs and all SVT vehicles. My first car was a bare-bones 4cyl. '84 Mustang L (not even an LX) hatchback, that was 18 years ago and since then I have never not owned a Mustang. My love of Mustangs was shifted to SVT products when I met Tom Shreiner and helped him publish the SVT Cobra Mustang Recognition Guide in 1999. Developing a relationship with the great people of SVT Marketing and SVT Engineering during that project has been an unbelievable blessing and has lead me to where I am today.

When the club was put in private hands last year, I was excited to be a part of it. While I am not able to get into the details of last year's managerial mess, rest assured I was affected directly by the way things were handled and decided to throw my hat in the ring to try to fix this mess, not only for myself, but for all of you who were let down and were justifiably pissed off. :)

Now that is behind us and I plan to move forward and get things back on track for 2008. Developments this week: Event insurance is being reinstated, registration is now open, and renewal reminders have been emailed to current members.

We've got a late start and a lot to make up for, but with everyone's patience and cooperation we can build ourselves back up to being THE Ford high-performance car club!


Thanks for sticking with us!
~Marcie
SVTOA

[stevedmurray]

WHEW!!!
Yes, I've been quiet on the forum lately, but now my hands are officially untied and I'm allowed to run with the ball! (sports reference - you guys like that, right?) As of April 17th (how perfectly fitting) I am your new National Director.

Lots of you on this forum (and other forums) know me already, but for those of you who don't, here's a little background. (There will be a formal introduction in the first magazine.)
I am Marcie Cipriani, owner of T-5 Design. I have been involved with SVT for many years and have made lots of great friends along the way. I have a true passion for Mustangs and all SVT vehicles. My first car was a bare-bones 4cyl. '84 Mustang L (not even an LX) hatchback, that was 18 years ago and since then I have never not owned a Mustang. My love of Mustangs was shifted to SVT products when I met Tom Shreiner and helped him publish the SVT Cobra Mustang Recognition Guide in 1999. Developing a relationship with the great people of SVT Marketing and SVT Engineering during that project has been an unbelievable blessing and has lead me to where I am today.

When the club was put in private hands last year, I was excited to be a part of it. While I am not able to get into the details of last year's managerial mess, rest assured I was affected directly by the way things were handled and decided to throw my hat in the ring to try to fix this mess, not only for myself, but for all of you who were let down and were justifiably pissed off. :)

Now that is behind us and I plan to move forward and get things back on track for 2008. Developments this week: Event insurance is being reinstated, registration is now open, and renewal reminders have been emailed to current members.

We've got a late start and a lot to make up for, but with everyone's patience and cooperation we can build ourselves back up to being THE Ford high-performance car club!


Thanks for sticking with us!
~Marcie
SVTOA

Marcie

I am thrilled for your involvement! We need to move quickly though as Q1 is already in our rear view mirrors.

As a follow up to your comments above, are there plans by T5 to do a second printing of the Cobra Recognition Guides? The prices on ebay are prohibitive.

Thanks,
Steve

[PETSNKE]

The new Ford Performance Group and Ford Racing would like toinvite members of the SVTOA to participate in a Mustang car corral andother special activities planned during the Mitty/Mustang ChallengeWeekend, May 2-4 at Road Atlanta.

Nice see to things like this available for our members. It's kinda like VIP parking for a 3-day event included with your membership.

[MCipriani]

Marcie

I am thrilled for your involvement! We need to move quickly though as Q1 is already in our rear view mirrors.

As a follow up to your comments above, are there plans by T5 to do a second printing of the Cobra Recognition Guides? The prices on ebay are prohibitive.

Thanks,
Steve


There won't be a second printing, but when things settle down a bit I will resume work on the SVT Registry which will encompass all SVT vehicles in the same detail as the Cobra book. That original book certainly is a hard to find item these days!

[golden_eye]

Good to hear that things sem to be taking a turn for the better. One quick question though: Since I just joined in Aug of '07, am I still good through Aug '08 or does the change in leadership require me to start fresh?

[Greg@SVTOA]

Nope!, you are still current and do not need to renew until your current registration expires in August.

[rheacerdave]

Do have a question. When do I get to move from SVT Enthusiast to SVTOA Registered Member.... I've been a member since 2002. :huh:

[Greg@SVTOA]

Do have a question. When do I get to move from SVT Enthusiast to SVTOA Registered Member.... I've been a member since 2002. :huh:


We have it set now that when someone joins via the online system, it will properly assign them to the members group. In the past these things were not under my control, I did not have any way to know who was paid and who wasn't.
Your issue has been resolved and if anyone else has this problem, let me know and it will be handled promptly.

[TBSVTOA]

Mailed in my membership. Look forward to a brighter future for SVTOA. BTW. Nice to see the Director actually communicate with the members. :)

[ronb]

I'd like to re-join this year.

Interestingly, I just got an email with information about how SVTOA would like me 'back'. Since I last renewed about this time last year, I wasn't even aware that I'd 'left'. :rolleyes:

Here's the thread where we were all talking hopefully about the future, 1 year ago: http://www.svtownersassociation.com/svtoaforums/showthread.php?t=12230&page=5&pp=15

Since then, I got my membership packet (7-10 week stated delay, I think it was more like 15) around the middle of last year, and I got one magazine, I think.

I know that the story is different this year, and I have a good level of confidence in the person who runs T-5 Design.

But, just for the record, what do I get for my membership fee this year? And, when would I get it?

SoCal94

From "About SVTOA" on this forum: Joining the new SVTOA brings a variety of exclusive member benefits, including:

One-year subscription to the official club publication, SVT Enthusiast, with: *"Insider" info and photography on every SVT vehicle
*Technical and How-To advice from former SVT/SVE engineers
*Q&A and SVT product histories from former SVT staffers
*News You Can Use / Product Reviews / Interviews / Event Coverage

Discounts on SVT Certificates of Authenticity and Ford Racing merchandise
Participation at Regional SVTOA On Track driving events nationwide
The inside line on unique Ford-licensed SVT and SVTOA merchandise
Inclusion in an upcoming OFFICIAL Ford-recognized SVT Vehicle Registry
Plus an SVTOA membership card and certificate, club windshield decal, special sponsor discounts and offers, and MUCH more!
Better still, the new SVTOA enjoys special charter membership in the all-new Ford Performance Group of vehicle clubs (see www.FordPerformanceGroup.com). That means because of its connection with Ford, SVTOA members are eligible for special Ford discounts, promotions and event opportunities that are not available to other clubs, forums or online registries.

[troy velazquez]

Hi Marcie,

Thanks for busting your hump to get us insurance for the season. Sorry for being such a pain in the ass. The problem is that our season really starts in February with the license and contract for the use of our autocross facility. They are an....um.....unique organization. I'll close the loop with you at Summit Point next week. Look for the #34 Blue 03 Cobra.

I do have a couple questions;

Are member numbers going to be issued as in the past?

Are there going to sponsoring dealer advisors as in the past? I ask this because we split from our sponsoring dealer in 07.

When are you going to come to Boston and attend an autocross? Who knows, I'll probably let you take your runs in my car.......god knows you have to be quicker than that slug Shafranek. :)

[MCipriani]

Hi Marcie,

Thanks for busting your hump to get us insurance for the season. Sorry for being such a pain in the ass. The problem is that our season really starts in February with the license and contract for the use of our autocross facility. They are an....um.....unique organization. I'll close the loop with you at Summit Point next week. Look for the #34 Blue 03 Cobra.

I do have a couple questions;

Are member numbers going to be issued as in the past?

Are there going to sponsoring dealer advisors as in the past? I ask this because we split from our sponsoring dealer in 07.

When are you going to come to Boston and attend an autocross? Who knows, I'll probably let you take your runs in my car.......god knows you have to be quicker than that slug Shafranek. :)

Troy,
Yes, my hump is busted, :wow: but insurance is officially taken care of and there will be an email or post about event insurance this weekend for everyone else who will need coverage this year. I'm looking forward to the Summit Point event and would like to work in one of your autocrosses this summer too. I will look at your schedule (it IS posted here, right?) :p and see when I can make it up there.

Answers to your other questions:

We are investigating reissuing member numbers and hope to implement that this year.

As far as having a sponsoring dealer, we recommend having one, but it is certainly not required.

See you @ Summit Point! Shafranek is a slug huh? That sounds like a challenge! Ha ha ha!

~Marcie